Has anyone actually converted or turbo-charged an Elite ?

[DELITE]

?

I think its a great conversion and badly needed and tested

[EXCEL V8]

I'm supercharging mine - 2.5 litre with air-to-water intercooling and fuel injection.  A couple of Excels have been turbocharged I think.

Pete

[drdoom]

A very long time ago I visited one of the leading local specialists doing such conversions and found him working on an Elite. He reported it to be good for 140mph and, as I recall, that was drawing air through a single SU carb. So much more can be had in the way of bits decades later and turbo's have themselves come a long way since.

In conversation with @EXCEL V8 via PM I have mused on the notion of reversing the cylinder head, so placing the turbo and its pipework up top and feeding inlet air fueled by FEI on the low side. How's that for a New Year's start? 😉 

[EXCEL V8]

I love that idea of reversing the head!  You could weld up a tubular intake manifold and blow through a singe throttle body.  Wish I was younger 🙄 - more time needed!!

Pete

[jonwat]

4 hours ago, EXCEL V8 said:

love that idea of reversing the head

There was a guy fitting 907 heads onto a Rover V8, one of which would have to be reversed 🤔

[DELITE]

Interesting🤔.....

[DELITE]

yes i suppose turbo charging the slant 907 is tricky......never thought

[JerryS]

Jason Shalders' MG GT3

[JerryS]

There was a Sunbeam Lotus Turbo with a very compact turbo arrangement. Maybe best suited for point and squirt racing. I think it's engine was recently parted out on ebay.

Paul Gwinnett Lotus Sunbeam Turbo

Edited January 2, 2023 by JerryS

[Don.Hasi]

I have read several stories of both ways in the club Lotus magazine. There were only a few cars converted. It is said that Lotus itself didn't do the turbo thing because of the heat which needs addressing. But it seems to be clear that the bottom end should be switched to the Turbo engine.

[Dunc]

Yes, it has been done on a series 1 elite, but it required considerable cutting into the passenger footwell to mount the turbo.

[EXCEL V8]

Before I replaced the body on my Elite I spent some time measuring to see if a turbo would fit.  If you had a custom exhaust manifold made or cast and reconfigured the nearside engine mount there is room for a turbo on the nearside of the engine - but it's very tight.

Pete

[JerryS]

On 02/01/2023 at 16:23, JerryS said:

There was a Sunbeam Lotus Turbo with a very compact turbo arrangement...

Here are some pics of the engine:

[drdoom]

Ooh, that's all a bit too cut and shut for my tastes. Standard head orientation dictates all the piping, in and out, be stuffed into that tight area low on the left side. Lotus, and before them Bell & Colville, chose to pipe exhaust upward for the Esprit installation as accommodated by its bay and in aid of engine mount longevity. Rotating the head so that the exhaust is high side seems worth a look, and EFI induction would likely tuck in nicely on the low side.

Cheers

[JerryS]

Yes everything here kept ultra compact for the Sunbeam.

Apparently this engine used Vauxhall Redtop injectors all run by an Alpha ecu.